April 13, 2001 – The seven female inmates serving sentences at the Golden Grove Correctional Facility on St. Croix have filed a grievance with the Corrections Bureau, charging that prison officials are ignoring their needs.
In a three-page statement, the women charged on Thursday that male inmates' needs are being given preference over theirs. They said they are being denied meaningful work opportunities and are largely restricted to homemaking routines while men are given the preferred jobs. They also charged that their educational aspirations and health and fitness needs are being ignored.
The seven also have asked to be housed separately from women who are being detained at Golden Grove but have not been sentenced to prison terms.
In the statement, they appealed to the Corrections Bureau for opportunities equal to those of male inmates and said they want to be rehabilitated, not ignored and rejected.
